The Colorado Department of Agriculture has required regular testing of dairy products for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza as the virus continues to spread throughout the state, Agriculture News reported July 25.
Commercial dairy farms licensed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that are not already under avian influenza quarantine will be subject to weekly testing. Inspection will be conducted on businesses whose milk will be used to produce butter, pasteurized and other cheeses, frozen desserts, ice cream, powdered milk, condensed milk and cottage cheese, as well as other products for human consumption.
“We are fighting this new and complex outbreak [птичьего гриппа] on dairy farms for nearly three months in Colorado and so far have failed to stop the spread of the diseasestate veterinarian Maggie Baldwin said in a statement. We have witnessed the devastating effects of this disease not only on our dairy industry, but also on the poultry industry.”.
In the past 30 days, 30 cattle herds in Colorado have been affected by the virus, according to the USDA. There is an outbreak of avian influenza in 39 herds in Colorado, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eight people in the state have contracted the virus, more than any other state in the country.
The mandatory testing order has no set expiration date, so state agriculture officials or the state veterinarian would have to issue another order to stop testing when the threat subsides. Farmers who fail to comply with the order will be prosecuted by prosecutors.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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